Hi folks, the mercury has hit 46 degrees here and it's unbearable for us, never mind the poor old bus. I had to move from our spot this morning so we ended up traveling in the heat of the day. We are somewhere between Lake Garda and Lake Como and the bus has started to miss, backfire and cut out so I've stuck her in a car park to cool down and it looks like we might be here for the night so we've found a shady bar for a beer. Does anyone have any advice on anything I need to check? Should I change the fuel filter? She started and ran fine for a couple of hours today so I'm hoping it's just the heat. I am using more oil than usual and usually use Morris SAE30. I couldn't get that here so have been topping up with synthetic 0w-30 or 0w-20. Do you reckon I need to use different oil in this extreme heat? Any advice appreciated. I will check timing if I get her running in the morning and we will go back to early morning and late evening running while this heat lasts.
Check plugs. Probably just too hot with the driving and as you say a few hours in that heat can’t be great. I’d also use better quality fuel but that’s just to avoid using E10.
Yep, I have been worried about using this crappy E10 95 fuel so have been trying to use Super 98 where I can get it but I've found it's not available at many places in Italy
SAE30 will be like water and 0w-anything is too thin for the ancient air-cooled engine. Top it up with 20w50. But the wrong oil won't be the cause of the misfires. Leave the lakes behind and head up into the mountains where it is much cooler – only mad dogs and the English stay in the heat. When you get home change the SAE30 for a muti-grade, 15w-40 or 20w-50.
In our Type 4 I usually use xx-50 weight in hot climates. Minimum xx-40. Can't remember what block you've got but I can't see why in these extreme temperatures the ability of a xx40 or xx50 multigrade wouldn't be suitable in a t1. At the end of the day these oils cope better with high temps. Additionally, I always look for multigrade mineral oil. Is the Morris stuff youve been using mineral? If so the synthetics you've used to top up don't mix too well. Possibly about time to drop the oil and replace with fresh? Now that won't affect your running, just your lubrication, but the bus will thank you. (I line a washing up bowl with several bin liners and drop the old oil into that, once I've found a garage or facility to dispose of it)...
I use Morris SAE30 golden film which is fully synthetic so hence I've used synthetic to top up. But I will get some 40 or 50 to top up going forward.
I think it is just the heat. I've checked the sponge seal, tinwear and air hoses but I think the air is so hot it has the same effect as recirculating hot air. It is the hottest I've ever been in, we all pray for good weather but this is just horrible. It tipped 47 degrees earlier and you can't bear to be in it. On the bright side, the old bus started first time after an hour or so cooling off and we've done another hour to get to our planned overnight stop in Bergamo. Definitely no more day time travel for us til this heat subsides.
We are going to do a couple of short early morning hops up the side of Como and then take your advice and head north up through the Alps to get out of this heat
Are you sure Morris SAE30 is fully synthetic? The Morris website says it's a mineral based oil. https://www.morrislubricantsonline.co.uk/golden-film-sae-30-classic-motor-oil.html SAE 30 is only suitable up to 25degC, you've thinned it further with 0w20 and 0w40, even lighter than the 5w20 VW recommend for 'Arctic' conditions below minus 10degC.
We are in Italy and use 15-40 and running fine -I know mineral is the crowd favourite but I use synthetic and so far no issues. Yep it’s hot but these buses are pretty tough
About 40 miles North West, and maybe 1500 m higher up, very pleasant low 20s, with some great thunder storms. Although the lower slopes of the mountain are on fire and they've just evacuated the neighbouring village... We're off to Ascona next week, so I hope it cools a bit by the lakes. Train, not the van this time.
I'm reluctant to get drawn in to the what oil debate Geoff, but I thought the same. Morris can be confusing with their details though. Personally, I wouldn't use synthetic but that's my preference. And I take oil with me...usually at least one change worth so that covers 6 or 7 k miles of travel. Each to their own though..
I'm not hung up about synthetic Neil, if it were available at the time VW would probably have recommended it. Mixing it with mineral may not be ideal but the real problem is the viscosity, the engine simply wasn't designed to run with very thin oil. And hot SAE30 is very thin and 0w-xx even thinner. What I can't understand is why people insist on using mono-grade oil with all the disadvantages when multi-grades have been available for decades – and VW approved it.
I'm just a bit of a fossil with my bay engine oil. Syncro gets gold plated globules of mermaids perspiration..but I get your point
Ah ok, thanks guys. The Morris website is very confusing. I put Morris golden film in as I thought this was recommended for classic air cooled engines. I will drop the oil and put some xx- w40 in when we get to the next campsite.
